How we think and talk about sanitation services has changed. The very notion of a sanitation service has been transformed from one focused on technology to one focused on the sustainability of the wider sanitation system. This paper explores the transformation from technology to system by drawing from a review of more than 200 pieces of literature published between 1970 and 2015. Seven prevalent perspectives on sanitation service provision are introduced: sanitation services as a basic human need; increasing service coverage through appropriate technology; the emergence of community-participation and community-management; an interest in private-sector participation; the sanitation crisis being viewed as a crisis of governance; sanitation considered inherently political and the current focus on sustainable sanitation systems. These seven perspectives form a useful conceptual frame, which may guide the thinking of sanitation practitioners, policy-makers and academics as they begin to consider how to meet the water and sanitation Sustainable Development Goal by 2030. In this paper, four examples of how the conceptual frame might be used to support thinking are provided.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research Article|
February 15 2016
A short history of how we think and talk about sanitation services and why it matters
Tanja Rosenqvist;
1Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney, Bldg 10, 235 Jones Street, Ultimo, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
E-mail: [email protected]
Search for other works by this author on:
Cynthia Mitchell;
Cynthia Mitchell
1Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney, Bldg 10, 235 Jones Street, Ultimo, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
Search for other works by this author on:
Juliet Willetts
Juliet Willetts
1Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney, Bldg 10, 235 Jones Street, Ultimo, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
Search for other works by this author on:
Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development (2016) 6 (2): 298–312.
Article history
Received:
August 14 2015
Accepted:
January 07 2016
Citation
Tanja Rosenqvist, Cynthia Mitchell, Juliet Willetts; A short history of how we think and talk about sanitation services and why it matters. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development 1 June 2016; 6 (2): 298–312. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2016.118
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.
eBook
Pay-Per-View Access
$38.00